Thoughts Like These

Charleston local Pierce Alexander is one of the most enigmatic musicians that I keep a steady relationship with. The first time I met Pierce was about a month before I started Out of the Woodwork. At the time, he was playing with his high school band, an alt-rock group called Heartfelt Hinges. Even at the time, Pierce’s music had this style that really took hold of me. The only way I can think to describe it is to compare it to an introspective magnet. It pulled my mind out of the present and put me in this state of reflection, made me relive about a dozen memories over the course of each song. In the past few years I’ve maintained a steady friendship with Pierce. Heartfelt Hinges disbanded as its members went off to college and other places, but Pierce continued to make music on his own. As of yet, the musician has not released a full EP, choosing instead to perfect singles and provide them for free. The result is a handful of songs you’ll want to play over and over again.

Alexander’s most recent track, “Thoughts Like These“, took me back to Sundays in my dad’s workshop. He was always trying to fix a vehicle or piece of equipment, laying on the concrete floor covered in grease and listening to some classic rock station. “Thoughts Like These” immediately reminded me of Tom Petty. Something about the slow, confident intro and light piano notes in the background took me back. Like all of Pierce’s music, this was a track of reflection. It’s not a song for the gym, it’s a song for late evening walk. It’s a song for your morning coffee, a song for when you need to decompress and disconnect from something stressful. The true value of “Thoughts Like These” along with Alexander’s “Waiting For the Show“, and “Black Friday” is in their distinct ability to separate themselves from the music around them. I listen to hundreds of songs every week, but rarely do I find something as original and thought provoking as these three songs.

Out of the Woodwork, if nothing else, is an entity of prediction. We tell you “hey, look at this person! They’re going to do great things!” Most of the time we’ve been right, and I have a few predictions about Pierce Alexander. I don’t think Pierce will ever be a pop idol. I don’t think he will bend to musical fads or sacrifice the quality of his work for momentary fame. I think he’s chosen something that will last longer. If somewhere down the line we manage to get ahold of an EP or album, I have no doubt that it will be successful and it will be remembered.